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Self Dedication Ritual for Wiccans - by Lucius Silvermane
While it is true that we generally encourage newcomers with questions to seek out their own answers through research, there are certain threads that seem to recur among newcomers from time to time. Many newcomers, particularly in the earliest stages, are uncertain how to access local resources in their community, or may decide that the local coven follows a tradition that they are not comfortable with, and as a result, may choose to pursue a solitary path. One of these threads that repeats among newcomers involves the question of how you go about dedicating yourself to Wicca. Dedicating yourself is not the same thing as an initiation ceremony, which tend to be designed and driven by the various traditions, and even individual covens. That being said, I have decided to offer a dedication ceremony that you may wish to use. That being said, with Wicca being what it is, feel free to adapt it to meet your own personal needs.
There are a number of steps to this process, and I will go through each and attempt to provide some explanation. The first thing that you must do is to think….and I mean really THINK, about what you are about to do. Consider all of the implications. If your family comes from a christian tradition, by embracing Wicca, you will be rejecting the beliefs that you were raised with…the beliefs of your parents and grandparents. Journeying down the Wiccan path is a wondrous thing, but it is something that you must do because you have chosen to embrace Wicca, and NOT because you are rebelling against something else! Also remember that one can be a witch without being a Wiccan; the two are NOT inextricably linked! If you want to be a witch, but don’t believe in the tenets of Wicca, there are other paths that might suit you better. Dedicate yourself to Wicca because you believe in the tenets of Wicca: the Rede, the Doctrine of Personal Responsibility, and the Threefold Law, at a minimum. There is sufficient variety within Wicca to accommodate other beliefs, but these three are central.
The first step in the process is personal preparation. This will involve ritual cleansing and meditation. Choose a time when you will not be disturbed, and shut out all outside distractions. Prepare for yourself a ritual cleansing bath. This should include a tub of water as hot as is comfortable. Add some epsom salts to the water, as these are very psychically cleansing. If you are female, add a few drops of rose oil, and for males, essential oil of lavender. Dim the lights, and light a few white candles in the tub area. Ensure that you have a soft cloth for washing, and a warm towel to finish with. Some people like to add a little music to this environment, but I personally regard it as an unnecessary distraction from the task at hand. Climb into the tub, and stay there as long as you can stand it. Relax, feel the water around you, and allow yourself to become centred. When you feel ready, begin to visualise going through your body and collecting all of the negativity that you find there, and then ‘pushing’ all of that negativity out through your pores. Once this is complete, pick up the wash cloth, and begin to wipe yourself in an outward direction (towards the fingertips or toes). As you do so, visualise the negativity being pushed off your skin by the cloth. Once you have gently and thoroughly cleansed yourself, relax and enjoy the bath until it cools too much to be comfortable, and then dry yourself off using the towel. Congratulations! You have just had your first cleansing bath, and are ready for the next step.
The next step in this process is meditation. You have actually already begun this process in the cleansing bath. I will share with you my own technique, but this can be individualised according to personal taste. Find yourself a quiet, dimly lit room, free of distractions and seat yourself comfortably. Special positions are used by some, particularly those who practise yoga, but I have never found them to be absolutely necessary. I light a smaller white candle, and use the flame from this candle as my focus. I sit quietly, and breathe in through my nose, holding it for a moment, and then blowing out through pursed lips, blowing out as much as I can. As I do so, I feel the tension fleeing from my body. I repeat this process, over and over, becoming progressively relaxed. While I do this, I focus my attentions solely on the flame of the candle, systematically shutting out all other aspects of my environment. When I feel that I am ready, centred, I begin the work at hand. In your case, ask yourself each of those questions that were previously described. Listen for that small, quiet voice, deep inside….you KNOW the one that I mean. It will give you the answers that you seek. When you are done, begin to slowly allow yourself to become aware of the rest of the room, an item at a time. Continue to relax….coming up as if surfacing in a swimming pool. When you are alert and comfortable, you may extinguish the candle. By now, you have the answers that you seek, and if you have decided to proceed, you are ready for the next step.
For the ritual of dedication, you will require a room, or an open space outdoors, which is at least as twice as wide as you are tall. This is required to cast the circle, and the dimensions are accurate because the circle that you will cast is in fact a sphere…one that you must be able to stand comfortably in the top half of. The traditional time to perform this ritual is just after sunset. Some traditions also hold that it should ideally be held during the full moon, but I believe that this is a matter of personal preference; if you are ready to begin your new life as a Wiccan, there is really no bad time to do so. You will also require the following items…an athame, a chalice filled with wine or juice, a small table to serve as your altar, and a single white candle with holder. You may also wish to have a token of your dedication, usually a ring or a pendant, to don during the ceremony. If you choose a ring, it should be placed on the ring finger of the right hand. Should you choose a pendant, it is preferred that the chain be of a type without a clasp. Ensure that the area that will be used for the ritual is clean. This may be accomplished with a besom, if you own one, but a regular broom will also suffice. As you sweep the floor in an outward direction, visualise pushing all of the negative energy out of the area.
Set the small table in the area that will contain your circle. The table should face east and be near the centre of the circle, with enough space for you to sit behind it in the actual centre of the circle. Place the candle, the athame, the chalice and the token of devotion on the altar before the ritual begins. It is my opinion that there are relatively few reasons to conduct rituals skyclad, but in THIS PARTICULAR CASE, there may be a symbolic benefit to doing so. You are, after all, being reborn in a sense, so in this case ritual nudity is appropriate. Should this be impossible, being outdoors for example, by all means proceed in clothing, but otherwise, since this is a self dedication ceremony, there is really nothing to be embarrassed about. You may begin by lighting the candle. Always try to use a lighter instead of matches, as matches contain sulphur, which can be baneful. Also bear in mind that unlike many other belief sets, this is not a sombre or frightening occasion. You are about to be reborn into a new life; it is a moment of great joy and celebration. Try to treat it that way, and come to the circle with happiness in your heart.
It is time for your self-dedication ritual to begin. This normally begins with a challenge, since all who participate in a circle should do so of their own free will. Since in this case, you are alone, a simple announcement will suffice. You should state, in your own words, that you have come to of your own free will to perform a ritual in this place. I usually use the phrase “in perfect peace and perfect love” but this is a highly individual statement, and your own words will be better. Seat yourself behind your altar, watch the candle’s flame, perform the breathing exercises described earlier, and centre yourself. When you feel ready, take the athame in your right hand and stand up. Holding the athame horizontally, lower it first to six inches or so above the ground, then raise it over your head, as if to show it to the Lord and Lady. Announce the following:
“Mother below, Father above, bless this instrument and instil in it your power to carve a space in this reality for the performance of this ritual.”
Proceed to the easternmost point in the circle, and point the athame downward. Visualise the energy flowing from the Lord above, through the top of your head, through your body, and out through the tip of the athame, into the earth, into the Lady. Walk slowly clockwise, in a complete circle of appropriate size, the energy from the athame always pointed at the earth. Continue walking clockwise until you have reached the point at which you started, then touch the tip of the athame to the earth, sealing the circle. Always bear in mind that while you are working in two dimensions, according to the traditions, what you are actually casting is not a circle but a sphere, working in three dimensions. Once this has been completed, return to centre of the circle, replace the athame on the altar, and seat yourself. Continue your meditation.
It is time to call down the corners/quarters of the circle. When you feel ready, stand again, and face the East, announcing the following:
“I call upon the element of Air. Come forth, watch over this ceremony, and become the breath of the Wiccan being born here tonight!”
Next, face the South, and announce the following:
“I call upon the element of Fire. Come forth, watch over this ceremony, and become the spirit of the Wiccan being born here tonight!”
Next, face the West, and announce the following:
“I call upon the element of Water. Come forth, watch over this ceremony, and become the blood of the Wiccan being born here tonight!”
Next, face the North, and announce the following:
“I call upon the element of Earth. Come forth, watch over this ceremony, and become the body of the Wiccan being born here tonight!”
When you are ready to continue raise both the chalice and the athame from the altar. The athame should be held in your left hand, and the chalice in your right. Hold the athame over your head, and in your own words, invite the Lord to enter into union with the Lady through the union of the athame with the chalice. Next, holding the chalice at or below waist level, in your own words, invite the Lady to enter into union with the Lord through the union of the athame and the chalice. This is an important and joyful moment, so by all means, speak from your heart. When the moment seems right, insert the athame gently into the chalice in one smooth stroke. Congratulations! You are now a Wiccan, born of the symbolic union of the Lord and Lady through the Great Rite that you have just performed! In your own words, thank the Lord and Lady for the new life that you have just received. Remove the athame from the chalice, saying the following:
“I separate these symbols of the Lord and Lady so that we may once again experience the joy of their union.”
Drink the wine or juice from the chalice, knowing that it is the product of the union of the Lord and Lady from which you were reborn as a Wiccan. Next, replace both the athame and the chalice on the altar. You should now don the token of dedication. The ceremony is essentially completed, and the time has come to open the circle once more. It is time to release the God and Goddess, and also the corners/quarters. In reverse order, first thank the Goddess for your new life; do so in your own words, and conclude with the phrase, “Go if you must, but stay if you will.” Next, thank the God for your new life; do so in your own words, and conclude with the phrase, “Go if you must, but stay if you will.” It is time to release the corners/quarters.
Next, face the North, and in your own words, thank the element Earth for participating in your birth. Conclude with the phrase
“Go if you must, but stay if you will.”
Next, face the West, and in your own words, thank the element Water for participating in your birth. Conclude with the phrase
“Go if you must, but stay if you will.”
Next, face the South, and in your own words, thank the element Fire for participating in your birth. Conclude with the phrase
“Go if you must, but stay if you will.”
Next, face the East, and in your own words, thank the element Air for participating in your birth. Conclude with the phrase
“Go if you must, but stay if you will.”
Finally, it is time to open the circle. Raise the athame from the altar and walk to the easternmost point. Touch the athame to the earth once again, this time visualising the energy flowing FROM the earth, back into the athame, and from there, returned to the Lord, from whom it was borrowed. As you visualise, walk slowly in a counterclockwise direction. This is what is known as walking ‘widdershins’. Reopen the circle in the same manner in which it was closed. As you walk, you may find it useful to chant the following:
“The Circle is opened, but never broken.”
as you go. When you once again reach the easternmost point, announce:
“It is done. So mote it be!”
The ritual is now concluded. Don’t forget to care for and store your tools, so that they will be ready the next time that you require them. Congratulations! You are now a Wiccan. May your path be a happy one, and may this pursuit of knowledge bring you the joy that it has brought to me, lo these many years.
Brightest Blessings,
Lucius Silvermane
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